This invention relates to a system for inspecting and rejecting faulty packages and for maintaining a package handling system including a single cartoning machine being fed by two packaging machines in operation when either of the packaging machines goes down or the cartoning machine goes down. In particular, this invention relates to a system of inspecting cigarette packages for faults and maintaining a boxer or cartoning machine, which is being fed by two cigarette packers, in operation when one of the packers goes down or maintaining the packers in operation when the boxer goes down.
In the past, the cigarette industry has used boxes, as for example, the boxer or cartoning machine manufactured by Molins Machine Company, Ltd. (Molins) which receives packages fed along two conveyor belts from separate packaging units such as an American Machine and Foundry (AMF) packer. When using such a hook-up, an operator is required for each of the packers and an inspector is required for each conveyor line between the packers and the boxer to remove the packages with flaws or faults in their wrappers as well as to remove packages from the conveyor line when the boxer goes down or place packages on the conveyor if one of the packers goes down. Because of the other increasing speeds of the cigarette maker and packaging machines, it has become difficult for an inspector to keep up with the packer output; therefore, some faulty packages are getting through to the inspection point to market. In order to prevent this from happening, the present invention provides a system which will automatically inspect packages for the major faults which commonly occur and automatically reject imperfect packages. By eliminating the requirement of an individual to inspect the packages, it becomes necessary to develop a system which can keep the packers and boxers operating if one or the other goes down.